UK: Foreign student numbers to be cut under new visa regime

Foreign students could be blocked from some educational institutions and courses as part of a plan to reduce immigration

Ministers want to cut the number of overseas students entering Britain by tens of thousands.

More than 362,000 were allowed to study here in the year to June, an increase of 35 per cent on the previous year.

Figures show that one in five foreign students is still in Britain five years after arrival, leading to concerns that student visas are being exploited as an easy migration route.

Home Office research shows half the foreign students who arrive each year are not studying degrees, but a range of lesser qualifications such as A-levels and even GCSEs.

Damian Green, the Immigration Minister, will today outline plans as part of an overhaul of migration policy.

Despite ruling out a cap on total foreign student numbers, Mr Green is expected to say the system will be tightened. Options could include limiting visas to those studying degree courses or to certain institutions.